Lé P’tit Prînce book launch

Lé P’tit Prînce book launch will take place on Friday 8th December at 6pm at the Société Jersiaise in the Members room.

The Alliance Française de Jersey has announced the release of the official Jèrriais translation of the famous book written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in 1943, The Little Prince.

80 years ago, on 6 April 1943, The Little Prince, written and illustrated by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was published in New York.

This work, presented as a philosophical tale for children, was to enjoy exceptional worldwide success and become one of the most famous modern literary stories in the world.

80 years after its first publication, Saint Exupéry’s The Little Prince has now been translated and published in almost 540 languages, making it the most translated work of fiction in the world. This unique publishing phenomenon makes The Little Prince a prime defender and promoter of the world’s cultural and linguistic diversity, as well as of books and reading.

To celebrate this anniversary, the P.I.A.F. Solutions association (Pôle d’Ingénierie et d’Appui à la Francophonie) and the Jean-Marc Probst Foundation for the Little Prince launched a worldwide call for projects on 6 April 2023 for 15 translations and unpublished editions of The Little Prince in foreign languages, at the rate of one translation/edition per continent per year over the next 3 years.

This initiative coincides with the 140th anniversary of the Alliance Française, the world’s largest cultural non-profit organisation.

The Jèrriais edition, published by Blue Ormer, will be officially released on 8th December at the Société Jersiaise and will be distributed for free. It will be the occasion to (re)discover The Little Prince in a brand new way.

A little apéritif will be offered. Booking is essential.

A donation box for Alliance Française Jersey will be displayed.

In the weeks prior to the event, take part in our competition: Follow the Af Jersey Facebook page, answer the 4 questions correctly and have a chance to be selected to win a prize to be collected at the Alliance Française!

Director of Alliance Française Jersey, Anna Peluso-Allen said: “Le Petit Prince is a book I actually read as a teenager and I was amazed by its different levels of interpretation. Even at the time, it was a book that described the complexity of the world and of human beings. It is a great pleasure to be taking part in this project which links our two missions: promoting the island’s linguistic and cultural diversity.”

To celebrate this event, themed workshops will be offered by the Alliance Française and the Office du Jèrriais to the public of the island from January 2024.